


Into the Dark

by MercurianAmi (Sandy)



Category: Sailor Moon
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-15
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-31 05:07:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/340268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandy/pseuds/MercurianAmi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the Darkury Arch of PGSM, but the girls are all young adults. Mercury's experience in the Dark Kingdom from her perspective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This gets seriously dark. All but the last chapter are written. If you want happy, this is not the fic for you.

She used to think of prison cells as dark and dank, cave-like rooms which, if one were lucky, might span five paces in any direction. Her reality was a spacious, well-appointed chamber. 

The bed (not a hard slab, chained to a concrete wall) was quite comfortable--luxurious, even. Much better than the bed in her dorm room. Several stocked book shelves lined the walls, and a comfortable chair, perfect for reading, sat in one corner; even the lighting was decent. 

There was even a chess board, connected to one outside her cell to allow interaction with her jailers. 

Yet, for all of that, she was in Hell--or at least what she would have imagined Hell to be, if she believed in such a place.

Her cell was barred by a forcefield which would allow neither matter nor magic to pass through it. At regular intervals--time had lost all meaning long ago--the barrier was altered enough to allow through a small plate and cup.

The food was always overcooked and dry: meat so overdone it was almost desiccated, vegetables so burnt it was hard to tell what they had originally been. However, this was not some cruel attempt to keep her malnourished; each plate still contained the appropriate vitamins.

Food had never been that important to her. She was more bothered by the small cup containing only a few ounces of cola. It was enough to keep her from dying of thirst, nothing more.

What at first glance seemed like a lovely cell, as these things go, was a torture chamber. There was no bathroom, no sink, and rather than being cold, it was uncomfortably warm.

Her own stench no longer bothered her. The itching of dirty skin and the lice crawling on her scalp had become a mild annoyance. 

She laid upon the bed, too weak to even read, and licked her chapped lips with a dry tongue. Her eyes remained fixated upon the other side of the barrier, unable to look away.

Just beyond the barrier was a pool, full of beautiful, pure water. In the middle was a fountain, flowing constantly so that she could both see and hear the life-giving substance...but nothing more.

They hadn’t hit her, not once, since she’d been captured. They didn’t have to.

She closed her eyes and her weak body forced her to sleep, though it wasn’t any relief. In her dreams she swam in the ocean, laughed in the rain, took her shoes off in the snow. But, just like the fountain, such things were well out of her reach, doing nothing more than taunting her.

She woke to footsteps outside the barrier, but did not otherwise stir. It would either be Beryl to see if she were broken, or one of the others to keep her company or stand guard as a “meal” was passed to her.

Ami was relieved--as much as was possible--to see that it was Kunzite. 

She wasn’t sure she could tolerate Jadeite’s attempt to ease her confinement. The young general meant well, but his constant flow of one-sided conversation was not always welcomed. Nephrite would have quietly read to her, recognizing that she lacked the strength to do so herself. Kunzite, however, would simply sit outside her barrier, seemingly relaxed, and keep her company. In her more alert moments she thought there should have been a fourth, but if there was, she never saw him.

Seeing who it was, she smiled. Or rather, she tried to smile. She didn’t need a mirror to know that the expression fell far short of her intention. Content that she was safe--relatively--for the time being, her eyes closed again, and she drifted off to a mercifully dreamless sleep.

When she next opened her eyes, it was to Beryl watching her through the barrier. A servant woman, frightened seeming but otherwise nondescript, stood trembling beside her.

“I’ve decided to show some mercy to you, though you refuse to give yourself to me.” The red-haired woman gestured to the servant beside her. “You are going to be cleaned. I’m sure you must be absolutely miserable, not having gotten to wash in two weeks.” Beryl smiled, a look of beneficence that seemed wrong on her usually cruel features.

The barrier was changed slightly to allow the servant to cross in, though Ami still could not feel the water beyond. Brushes and small alcohol wipes were all the trembling woman carried, not enough water to provide her any relief, much less power.

Yet, suddenly, there was a source of water that she could reach. A source that was moving towards her and would soon be in physical contact. She turned, with some effort, to see Beryl smirking as she watched. No wonder the servant was terrified, she was meant to be a sacrifice.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Ami forced herself away from the temptation, and (had she the ability to do so) would have cried at the realization that she was tempted. There was enough water there to hydrate her tired body and provide the power to escape her prison, if she dared to take it. 

If she did, she would be no better than the woman holding her prisoner.

The scrubbing seemed to take forever. Ami’s nails had dug deep rivets in her dry skin before Beryl carefully extracted the servant from the cell.

“Try not to get too dirty before your cleaning next week.” The red-headed demon smiled, a predator teasing its prey, before she left, taking the servant with her.


	2. Chapter 2

Jadeite knelt just outside, pushing the small tray with her “meal” through the barrier. Ami looked at the food, then at the general and managed a slight shake her head. She would starve before she’d be desperate enough to kill.

He sighed, and when he spoke it was not in his usual, cheerful tone. “Please. You don’t want to know what she’ll do if you don’t.” There was sincerity and concern in those words, but it took a few minutes before she forced herself to muster the strength to move to the food and partake of it. All the while Jadeite watched her, his eyes pleading.

This time he stayed longer than necessary, probably to make sure she didn’t purge afterward. It wouldn’t have mattered; she didn’t have the strength to do so. He was silent, and she thought there might have been pity and sorrow behind his eyes. Among the questions that hovered just out of reach of her once bright mind was what had been done to break him.

Words no longer mattered, as she had long since lost the focus to follow a story, but the cadence and tone of Nephrite’s voice was soothing. If nothing else, she could focus on that rather than constant sound of water.

He only seemed to choose classics which would bring hope: stories of difficult journeys in which good would conquer evil, and, for a while at least, Chaos would be driven back. She did not have to hear how the hero lost a finger to know that the darkness was gone.

Quiet companionship offered her more comfort than even she would have expected. No longer could she remember the name of the man who sat silently with her. She could see that there was more than strength in the broad shoulders. When he looked at her, she imagined that she saw pain and sorrow in his eyes, a brokenness that rivaled her own pain. 

No words were spoken, and for the most part he did not even look at her. Yet she felt as if he understood the hell she was in, as if he knew what it was to be just a shell, barely even able to remember the truth of who you were or had been. 

The demon once again stood outside her cage, red eyes smiling as the sacrifice was forced through. She spoke, but the words were meaningless. Ami cowered in a corner, as far from the trembling woman as she could.

The sound of indistinct barking caused the unwilling intruder to whimper. As the rags that covered Ami’s body were removed, and her skin touched by another, she gasped. She needed to drink, to indulge. Her body demanded she do what she must to survive. She drew blood from her chapped lips, dug gashes in her legs, left bite marks in her arms, and when the other finally left, she curled into ball while dry sobs wracked her exhausted body. 

The cheerful one was back. Ami met his eyes. Her voice sounded alien to her own ears, and finding the words was more difficult than it should have ever been.

“I can’t…I…she’s won. I’m r…ready.”

He nodded, and she thought she saw a tear tracing down his cheek. “I’ll go get her.”

The young general returned, all traces of sorrow and compassion erased from his features. With him was the demon.

Her voice was gentle, soothing when she spoke this time. “Lord Jadeite says you’ve come to understand. I have hated this as much as you, and will make it up to you, as soon as you let me. All it takes from you is a simple oath.”

She nodded and knelt on both knees--she did not have the strength to balance on one. The words were slow, painfully drug from her dying soul. “I swear my allegiance to Queen Beryl, to obey her commands, to give her my life.”

The words acted as a spell, and she felt them settle upon her, sinking into dry skin. A knife was slipped into the cell. Picking it up, she moved it to her wrist, but before she could run the blade over the vein, her body seized and the knife clattered to the floor.

“Oh...my pet.” The demon’s tone was almost kind. “You gave me your life. It’s no longer yours to take.”

With a whimper, she picked up the blade, slicing her palm and watching the blood drip, sealing the vow.

The barrier dropped immediately, and Jadeite moved to her, a bottle of fresh water in his hands. Knowing she was weak, he did not give it to her, but knelt beside her to hold her as he helped her drink. As hydration began to return, she trembled with the weight of what she had done and heard Jadeite’s whispered apology.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercury is presented at the court of the Queen.

There was a white line traced across her palm, a silent witness to the betrayal she’d committed. Ami’s jaw clenched. There had been no other choice, but that did not change the fact that she was now a servant of Chaos.

“You can’t focus on it. You’ll drive yourself crazy.” The voice was stern but kind. Slowly balling her hand into a fist, Ami looked up to see Kunzite watching her. 

A small smile graced the general’s lips. “You have to ignore the questions. I am not exaggerating when I say that it’ll drive you crazy.”

Silence stretched between them. “Why me?”

The look he gave her reminded her of a teacher, one who knew his pupil was smarter than she was acting. “Strategically, you were the right choice. The brains of the group.”

“I see.” Ami’s jaw tightened once again, and she swallowed the questions that she so desperately wanted to ask. 

“Your recovery is on track. You’ll be beginning training tomorrow.”

Her eyes closed as she nodded. 

“Beryl wants to see you in court. Full uniform. You’ve got fifteen minutes.” He looked at her for a moment. There was a slight twitch in his jaw before he turned towards the door. “I’m sorry.”

***

She felt the power infuse her, comforting her with its familiarity. Once the transformation was complete, she turned to look at her reflection.

A growl of frustration escaped Ami’s lips as she saw herself. Ami had hoped that the power of Mercury would be enough to break the oath, blood or no.

The uniform was recognizable, in some ways unchanged, as impractical as ever. The skirt was tiny; the boots were not made for running, much less fighting; and the body suit would do little to shield against attack--physical or magical.

Yet, it was also different. Her simple golden tiara was now pewter with a laced pattern, though the sapphire in the center remained the same. Black trim covered her uniform. Her bow was larger, covered with black lace, and ridiculously flourished.

Mercury’s hands balled at her side. “I look absurd.”

Taking a deep breath, she turned to make her way to the commanded audience. 

Kunzite had waited for her, and raised an eyebrow as she emerged from her quarters. 

“I know.” She shrugged slightly, “Let’s just get this over with.”

***

The courtroom was large and elegant. Perhaps Ami had read too many novels, but she’d expected it to be gloomy, a cavern. Instead, it was a rich, warm room. The floor was hard wood, a simple box parquet. While the walls were a marble grey, decorations of various earth tones added warmth. To her surprise, there was a small crowd gathered, grouped in clusters, talking and socializing.

The combination of candlelight and electricity created an illusion of natural light so masterful that Ami found herself looking for a window, though there were none.

Kunzite cleared his throat quietly, and Mercury nodded. Taking a deep breath, she headed toward the dais, noticing that the murmur of conversations died as she did so. She frowned slightly as she approached it, not immediately able to make sense of what it was she was seeing. 

The dais was arched, with two large thrones at the center. Beryl sat in the larger of the two, wearing an elegant gown of black with golden trim. On either side of the thrones were four smaller ones, divided into pairs. Her frown deepened as she neared the dais, her attention focusing on the woman in the center.

When Mercury reached the foot of the dais, she dropped to one knee--an awkward position in her uniform. She lowered her head respectfully as she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat, “Queen Beryl.”

“Mercury.” Beryl stood from her throne and approached the kneeling senshi. Reaching down, she cupped her chin and raised Mercury’s head, so that their eyes met. “Welcome. I am sorry for your ordeal, but it is good to have you where you belong.”

There was a commotion somewhere behind her, but Mercury ignored it.

She wanted to protest, but her vow made the words stick in her throat. “Th...thank you.” Mercury closed her eyes at that.

As a nail gently caressed her cheek, the commotion came closer, “No! No!”

Mercury stood and turned at the cry, freezing at what she saw. Nephrite was restraining someone who was wearing the uniform of a general. Her eyes narrowed. She remembered wondering about a fourth. 

“No...not this way. No.” Zoisite struggled against Nephrite. “What was done to her?”

“What do you care?” Mercury found her voice, as she put the final pieces together. She shot the general a disparaging glare. Shaking her head, her anger having replaced the cold resignation, she turned back to face Beryl.

The Queen had returned to her throne, a smile playing on her lips at the scene. She nodded to Mercury and then looked to the rest of the gathered court. “Mercury is to be treated with the same level of respect as the Shitennou. I’d suggest you each make yourself known to her.” Beryl waved a carefully manicured hand, dismissing those gathered.

Ignoring Zoisite, Mercury turned once again and stormed out of the courtroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will get longer.
> 
> The 9th chapter is in beta mode and the final chapter has been outlined. I"ll try to do better about uploading the existing chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

She watched from her perch as the Senshi attacked the youma. It was a relatively weak one and, appropriately, water based. The weapons it used were of ice. It reformed as needed from an apparently endless supply.

The emotions of her former comrades were evident in how they fought. In Mars and Jupiter she read anger, rage, fury, and she almost felt bad for the sacrificed demon. Venus fought calmly, each move calculated. No pesky emotions clouded her judgment or affected her attacks. That Venus was harder, more determined, indicated to Mercury that Venus had not escaped the effects of her capture. 

Then there was Sailor Moon. The others guarded her, kept her safe, but Mercury saw the despondence clearly.

Venus’ chain lashed out, catching the demon across its back. The demon staggered, and screamed as a bolt of lightning blasted it to rubble. Mercury took a deep breath, recognizing her cue.

Jumping from her perch, she landed easily off to the side of them, closest to Moon. A slow clap grabbed their attention. “It looks like you didn’t need me after all. I’m so hurt.” She frowned for them, affecting an expression of pain.

“Ami!” Sailor Moon started to run for her, only to be grabbed by Mars as Jupiter placed herself between them.

“Aw, did you miss me?” Mercury raised a hand to the ridiculous bow on her chest. “I’m so touched.”

“What do you want?” Venus had moved to join Jupiter. Again, there was no trace of feeling that Mercury could see in their commander’s stance or expression.

Moon struggled against Mars. “What are you doing? Ami’s alive. Aren’t you glad to see her? I can heal her, and everything will be fine.”

Mercury raised an eyebrow. “You can heal me?” She laughed. “No, Princess,” the word was spat out, full of venom, “you cannot. You see, Beryl has helped me realize my full potential, something none of you ever allowed.” Drawing the sword from its hilt at her side, she held it up. 

Venus’ eyes narrowed, “Where did you get that?”

“I just told you, from Beryl. Though its funny how quickly I managed to learn it, how attuned to me it is, how I feel the power of Mercury running through it.” She smiled, a cruel, taunting smile at her former leader. “But you know that, don’t you? You know that I had more potential than being in the background, figuring out strategy and weakness, being nothing more than the brains, the convenient nerd, desperate for attention and friends.” Mercury glanced back over to where Moon now stood still, tears streaming down her face. Mars glared at her. Mercury simply snickered and turned her attention back to Venus.

She twirled the sword in a figure eight before her. “It turns out I can do more than type furiously on a computer or put out fires. If you’ll notice, there’s no one here protecting me, keeping me out of the fight, treating me like some fragile glass doll that’ll break.”

“You want to fight?” Venus pulled out her own sword. Not the heavy stone sword of the Silver Millennium, but a venetian blade--hers as Venus, rather than as the leader of the Princess’ guard. “Then we’ll fight.”

Mercury had not been lying when she said that she had quickly picked up the art of the sword. Slipping into a fighting stance, she held the blade before her as she took a measure of her opponent. The advantage was clearly her own. She’d seen Venus sword fight many times, had seen her practice. She knew the other woman’s style, her preferences.

As the sound of clanging swords rang out, Mercury smiled. Block. Attack. Attack. Advance. Retreat. Dodge. Attack. There was music in the sound, a melody that exhilarated her as she danced, the sword settled in her hand as though she’d been born with it.

The dance of swords turned, and she saw that Moon was once more being restrained--this time by both Mars and Jupiter. Apparently, Moon still wanted to save her, to stop her friends from fighting. She laughed even as she blocked a sweep attack aimed at her legs. 

A slight twist of her wrist turned her sword to not only deflect the attack, but to cause Venus to momentarily lose balance. Taking advantage of the moment, Mercury moved into a hanging guard and then came around in a sweeping attack of her own, aimed at Venus’ head.

She heard Usagi--no, Moon!--scream. 

Her blade stopped inches from injuring Venus. She stepped back. 

“I believe I’ve made my point.” The pun was weak, but she smiled anyway and tried to ignore the ache in her chest. “Next time, I won’t show mercy.”

Glancing back at the other three, she smirked. “It looks like your princess needs you.”

Mercury took another step backward and touched her hand to the center of her bow. She disappeared, smirking at them as she vanished.

***

When she emerged from her room, she found Zoisite leaning against the wall opposite. “What do you want?”

“I have some idea of what you just went through. I realize you’ve never been one to talk about your feelings, but perhaps I can offer some kind of comfort.” Zoisite shrugged slightly. 

Mercury shook her head and scoffed. “You want to comfort me now? Where were you a couple of weeks ago? No. I’m not interested in whatever it is you think you can do for me.” Meeting Zoisite’s eyes, she held them to make certain that her disdain was clear.

Zoisite’s jaw clenched, and Mercury thought she saw a gleam of pain in green eyes. She raised an eyebrow. Showing weakness in the Dark Kingdom was dangerous, even around the three Shitennou that she did trust to a degree; she remained guarded.

Zoisite did not move, instead watching Mercury closely. Whatever flash of vulnerability Mercury thought she’d seen had gone. “I have answered that question before. We’ve established that you don’t believe me, so I see no reason to go through it again.”

“It’s a convenient enough excuse, and I’m sure it soothes whatever conscience you have left.” Mercury turned down the hallway. “If you ever had any.”

There were no sounds of pursuit, no scuffing of boots hurrying to catch up with her, though Zoisite did call after her: “It doesn’t get easier.”

Once she turned a corner and was out of Zoisite’s sight, Mercury closed her eyes, grimacing at the warning. She bit her lip to keep from crying--tears would not serve her when she reported to Beryl.

***

Fist to her heart, Mercury bowed before Beryl. “My Queen.” Bile rose in the back of her throat, but managed not to show it.

“Rise, Mercury.” As she did so, she saw that Beryl was smiling--an expression that made Mercury’s blood run cold. “You did well. However, I do feel that I should caution you against repeating a particular mistake.”

Mercury lifted her chin in defiance.Steeling herself, she waited.

“You stopped yourself, and, for now, I won’t question why.” Mercury managed not to grimace at the implied accusation. If Beryl had truly been watching the battle she would be fully aware of what had stayed her hand. “However, in the future, you will not again come that close to killing any of the Senshi.”

Confused, Mercury frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Your sisters are no good to me dead.” Mercury cut her eyes to the thrones which flanked the dais. Eight. She’d yet to see any of the Shitennou sit in one of them, but the symbolism was clear. The question was whether this was Beryl’s attempt to cause the Princess as much pain as possible, or if the woman sincerely believed that what she was doing was right. 

She forced herself to ignore the sick feeling that hit her at the thought of the others going through what she had.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoisite broke past Jadeite and passed the ball to Nephrite. The larger man dribbled, but was blocked by Kunzite. As the two danced around each other, it seemed to Mercury that they took a ball game as seriously as they took a sword drill. 

Nephrite feinted left, then darted past Kunzite. He lobbed the ball through the hoop before the other man could stop him. As it swished through the net, he and Zoisite fist-bumped and made faces at the other two.

She listened to the banter that went back and forth as their game continued. The insults they hurled at each other--claims to have slept with each others’ mothers, taunts of incompetence and impotence--made no sense to her, nor did she understand what they had to do with playing basketball. Despite the seeming cruelty of their words, there seemed to be an easy camaraderie in their laughter. Mercury frowned in confusion.

When they finished, the score was close--21 to 20--with Kunzite and Jadeite having won. They came over to join her, though Zoisite hung back a bit. She looked at the four of them and shook her head. “How can you do this?” 

“Well, you dribble the ball, pass it when your teammate has a clearer shot than you do, and shoot when you get an opportunity.” Nephrite grinned. 

“I...” Mercury’s forehead wrinkled a bit as she contemplated Nephrite’s answer. “No, I mean, act normally, just playing basketball, like...like we’re not under the thrall of chaos.”

Kunzite shook his head. “Ignore the idiot. As for how...we have to.” He shrugged, taking a drink from his water bottle. 

Mercury’s frown deepened. She knew that Kunzite’s intention had been to end the conversation, but she was simply not willing to let it drop. “Does she command you to?”

“No.” Jadeite gave her a small smile as he moved to sit beside her, ignoring the glares from Kunzite and Nephrite. “We do this--try to be normal when we can, have fun, laugh--to maintain our humanity, to try to remember who we are apart from what we’re forced to be. And we do it to forget, even if just briefly.”

“Oh.” Mercury looked between the four of them, surprised at Jadeite’s answer. Kunzite guzzled the last of his water, eyes turned away from her. Nephrite massaged one of his own shoulders as he stared a little too nonchalantly into the sun. Zoisite was deeply invested in the rocks on the ground. 

Jadeite rolled his eyes at his companions before turning back to focus on Mercury. “If you close in on yourself here, you’ll go crazy. Whatever brought each of us here...well, trust is still necessary, even here.” 

“Especially here.” Mercury looked up as Zoisite spoke, their eyes meeting briefly.

 

***

Mercury managed to keep her expression neutral as she straightened from her bow. Audiences with the self-styled queen were never pleasant, but private audiences were almost torturous.

“Lady Mercury, I need your help.” Beryl’s smile would have sent shivers down Mercury’s spine were she not already accustomed to it. “There is a matter on which I seek your counsel.”

“Of course, my Queen. I’m yours to command.” 

Beryl’s smile grew slightly. Mercury trembled beneath it, fighting the urge to wipe it from the bitch’s face. “Yes, you are.” The woman studied her fingernails for a moment, before gesturing at a seat across from her.

Mercury glanced at the chair, an eyebrow raised. Even in the less formal receiving room Beryl rarely yielded such an advantage. “I believe I prefer to remain standing, Highness.”

“As you wish.” Beryl shrugged slightly, and Mercury hoped she had not taken offense.

For a moment that stretched indeterminably for Mercury, Beryl studied her. She felt her jaw clench involuntarily, but otherwise managed to maintain her equilibrium.

“So, Mercury, tell me. Who should join us next?”

Feeling her stomach drop at the question, she stared at Beryl, ever aware that no amount of self-control could keep the pain from her face. 

Beryl merely smirked and once again took to examining her blood-red fingernails. “Well?”

“That would depend upon your goal. What do you wish to accomplish?” 

The woman laughed. “I know the Princess. Each loss will hit her personally. Unless you believe that there is one she’ll feel more deeply?” Beryl leaned forward.

Mercury shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. “No.” 

“Tell me, if My Prince were found, if Endymion were reunited with his moon whore, would his loss hurt her more than yours has?”

“No.” Opening her eyes, Mercury met Beryl’s. “No, my Queen.”

“And yet he thought she truly loved him.” Beryl shook her head. “It’s rather pitiful. So, back to the matter at hand. Who should join us next?”

“R...” Mercury caught herself. “Mars.”

Beryl looked thoughtful as she considered Mercury’s answer. “Very well. That is all.”

Mercury sketched a half-bow and turned to leave. When she reached the door, Beryl said. “Oh, and Mercury...”

Her hand trembled over the doorknob as she stopped, wanting nothing more than to escape.

“You will speak of this to no one.”

Her eyes closed as she nodded. “Yes, my Queen.”

***

Try as she might, she could not ease the pain of having betrayed the others, having chosen which of her sisters would join her in this hell. She’d vomited once she’d returned to the relative safety of her rooms, and even the water of her bath could bring her no comfort.

She emerged from her quarters, when she’d realized she would not able to find solace there. Mercury headed towards the music room, hoping that she could lose herself in the harp.

However, as she drew closer to the room, she heard the clear notes of a piano wafting through the hallway. Mercury sighed and stopped in her tracks. She hesitated, unsure if she could continue forward.

The music was haunting, a melody that pulled at her. After a few moments of indecision, she went on, unable to resist what she would find there.

Zoisite was sitting at the piano, as lost in the music as Mercury had hoped to become herself. Mercury could see the that the Shitennou’s eyes were closed as long fingers flew over the keys, playing with intimate familiarity.

Mercury stood watching, taken as much by Zoisite’s absorption as she was by the music itself. 

When the music ended, Zoisite’s eyes did not open. “It’s meant to be a duet. You should join me.” A slender hand gestured towards the harp. 

Forcing herself past the surprise she felt, Mercury nodded slowly. After a calming breath, she moved to sit at the instrument. Her fingers flew over the strings, running a couple of arpeggios, before she glanced to Zoisite with a nod.

A slight, uneasy smile was her answer, before Zoisite began to play again. Looking away from the blond, Mercury turned her attention back to the instrument before her.

Once again, the music washed over, her eyes closing as she listened. She knew the melody, though she did not want to contemplate how or from where. After a few bars, she began once again to pluck the strings, her fingers knowing, instinctively, which notes to play. The music of the harp blended perfectly with the piano, each complementing the other.

Mercury had no sense of how much time had passed when they finally stopped.

Looking to Zoisite, she saw the other watching her. “It’s good to hear the piece whole again. Thank you.”

“Thank you. I needed that.” Mercury blushed slightly, smiling as she answered.

Zoisite laughed warmly. “I’m sure. Don’t worry, none of us will ask you what she wanted. We’ve learned better.”

“I can’t.” Mercury frowned, remembering why she had needed the respite.

“I know.” Zoisite stood and began to head towards the door.

Taking a deep breath, Mercury called out: “Wait. Stay.”


	6. Chapter 6

Mercury and Zoisite perched in a tree far enough from the shrine that would allow them to watch Mars without being detected. The black-haired shrine maiden swept the steps of the shrine, but Mercury noticed that both she and the ravens seemed watchful, even in this daily task.

“Are you sure you can handle this?”

Looking over at Zoisite, Mercury frowned and nodded. “Yeah.”

Zoisite raised an eyebrow momentarily, holding Mercury’s eyes, before the Shitennou picked up the flute and began to softly play.

The young woman below showed no indication of hearing Zoisite’s melody, but one of the ravens--Phobos, Mercury believed--flew over to investigate.

That was her cue. Leaving Zoisite, Mercury worked her way toward her target. It was clear that Mars had noticed Phobos’ movement as she stopped her sweeping, her stood straight. Looking around, she shifted the broom she held as though it were a staff. Mercury felt the slightest tingle at the back of her skull, suggesting to her that Mars had extended her psychic senses.

“Don’t be a coward! Show yourself!”

Mercury emerged. She raised one hand and a shard of ice shot toward the priestess. “I’ve never been a coward.”

Mars dodged the ice, and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to fight you, but I will if I have to.”

“Just this last time, Mars.” She blasted out another round of icicles, forcing Mars to dodge and retreat--never allowed to attack. 

Mars flipped to the side and a light obscured her from sight. She wasted no time to make a speech about justice, a fact which actually impressed Mercury. 

Senshi versus Senshi; fire melted ice, and water deflected fire. Though neither could get the upper hand, Mar’s attacks blasted out a heat akin to a blazing furnace. A burst of flame grazed her cheek before it was extinguished, and Mercury understood that Mars was, in fact, trying to injure her.

“You could never defeat me, Mercury.”

A smirk graced her lips as she dodged a fireball. “I don’t need to.”

“What is that suppo...”

Mars’ words trailed off as Zoisite approached the pair holding an unconscious Phobos and Deimos.

“Let them go.”

Zoisite made no answer, instead simply raising a perfect eyebrow.

Mercury watched Mars, who had seemingly forgot about her entirely .“Is your duty to the Princess more important than your duty to the only remaining citizens of Mars?”

Staring at the birds held gently in Zoisite’s hands, Mars hesitated. “That’s not fair.” That moment of hesitation was all that Kunzite needed. He materialized behind her, a syringe in one hand. The poison acted quickly, and he caught her as she wilted.

“Well done, Mercury, Zoisite.”

Kunzite, cradling the fallen Mars, transported away.

As Mercury walked to Zoisite, to transport together she shook her head. “It really isn’t.”

***

Mercury stood outside of Mars’ cell. In some ways, it was far more comfortable than her own had been. There were small amenities: the bed in which Mars was laid out was nice with luxurious sheets and pillows, Mars had full water and bathing facilities (though Mercury suspected the water was only cool), and the environment was kept quiet for meditation.

However, Mercury also knew that Mars would be tortured. While it did not bother her, the temperature of the dungeon was colder than most would find bearable, and there were no   
blankets or place for a fire in the cell. Even more devastating, however, was the fact that the wall separating her cell from the smaller one holding Phobos and Demios was thick glass. Mars would be made to watch whatever torture her guardians experienced, and Mercury knew that it would be that for which Mars would never forgive her.

Sighing, she looked at the two. Their sedation had worn off, and they cawed in an attempt to wake Mars. “I’m sorry.” She was not sure if she apologized to the birds or Mars, but knew that it was insufficient. Mercury felt horrible that the pair had been brought into this, but she also knew that they were no more innocent bystanders than Luna or Artemis would be. She also knew how she would have felt had Pherespondos, Lykos, and Pronomos made it to this life.

Closing her eyes, her forehead rested against the glass of Mars’ cell. “I’m so sorry.”

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at Nephrite.

“Are you all right?” There was concern in his eyes, but she shrugged and turned her attention back to Mars. 

“Come on. She’s unconscious; there’s nothing you can do but beat yourself up.” Nephrite pulled her into a hug. “Let’s go upstairs.”

***

Mercury suspected that, after a full day, the poison would have worn off and Mars would be awake. Though she knew all she could expect from her would be hate, Mercury needed to know that Mars was well and to offer what consolation she could.

As she descended into the dungeon voices drifted up the corridor before her. Mercury paused.

“You and I both know that could only work once! And not against a telepath!” She’d never heard Jadeite take that kind of tone before. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her mouth worked but she remained silent as she tried to understand why Zoisite would deny Jadeite’s assertion.

“I just want to know that she’s ok! I’m not going to break her out.”

Mercury bit her lip as she listened, her eyes closing as she realized truths she had long denied.

Zoisite’s voice was calm, even compassionate. “Jadeite, if what you’re saying is true, then you know I cannot confirm it. However, I assure you--promise you even--if it were, we would do everything we can to take care of her. Just as you did for Mercury.”

There was silence, and Mercury found herself wiping at stray tears as she waited for Jadeite’s response. “Fine!” The young man sighed, finally, and Mercury pressed herself against the wall as she heard him coming up the stairs. He stormed past without acknowledging her.

When he had gone, Mercury rounded the corner and found Zoisite standing there still, head hung. “So it wasn’t just an excuse.”

“No, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”


	7. Chapter 7

Her fingers moved gracefully over the strings, masterfully molding notes into an endless, uncharted melody. She found peace, and no one bothered her as she played. Beryl did not seem to object to the various methods her servants--slaves, really--used to comfort themselves. 

If the others believed that she was in fact lost in her music, all the better. 

The truth was, that as her fingers played, her mind was free to wander. Her hands knew the chords well enough that her mind could pick at the knots which bound her, and test the plan she was forming. She was safe here. They would leave her in peace, allow her to find what comfort she could, and she would run through the scenarios over and over again in her mind; examining them, and looking for a flaw.

***

Kunzite was in a meeting with Beryl, and while Mercury felt bad for the burden he was forced to carry, she was also relieved that he had Beryl’s attention. Nephrite had been sent to the Americas to collect energy, and Zoisite was distracting Jadeite with a chess game, in an attempt to keep his mind off of Mars.

No one would have thought anything about her going to the dungeons. She frequently tried to offer Mars what strength she had, even if the other woman only stared at her with hate. If nothing else, she provided her former sister an outlet.

Mars was asleep when Mercury reached her cell. Days of observation had revealed that Deimos and Phobos, despite their own discomfort and torments, forced Mars to take care of herself, at the very least. They would caw for hours if Mars tried to go without eating, for instance. Thus, they guaranteed that sedative laced food would put the fiery senshi to sleep.

Mercury looked at the woman from outside of her prison. She had not been allowed to run full scans or to examine her closely, but Mercury did care about her well-being. Satisfied that Mars was well enough under the circumstances, she turned her focus to her self-appointed task.

Not once had Beryl ordered that Mercury not enter the other cell. Not once had she demanded that Phobos or Deimos could not perch on her arms, shoulder, or head. Why would she? After all, when Mercury had orchestrated the capture of Mars, she had proven how deep her oath went, had proven that her loyalties now rested safely in Beryl’s tight fist.

The crows fought her at first, cawing as they came at her with talons and beak. She hated to admit that she was thankful for how weak they had become. The damage they managed to do was minimal as she grabbed their tethers and forced them to perch on her arms after binding their beaks with whispered apologies. Falconry gloves would have been hard to explain, so she did her best to ignore the pain as they dug their talons into her flesh. It was the only means of resistance they had left, and she could not fault them for it.

Next came the truly difficult part. Ever so carefully she timed the paths of the youma guards and kept to pathways which were usually abandoned. Her authority was almost as complete as that of the Shitennou, but her plan had a higher chance of success if she could remain unnoticed.

Coming to a corner, she checked before turning, only to hear her name called. “Mercury!”

Cursing under her breath, she turned and nodded. “Nephrite. I trust your mission was successful?”

The man nodded, a smirk and a knowing look in his eyes. “It was.” He held out a hand to her. “Allow me to help the same be true for you.”

Mercury frowned. He knew, and he was offering to help. She just was not sure if she could trust that offer. 

After weighing her options, she tightened her jaw and placed her hand in his.

***

He left her to climb the steps on her own, and she was almost surprised when the crows eased their grips on her arms.

Mercury had climbed the steps leading to the Hikawa Shrine more times than she could remember, though it all seemed like a different lifetime or a dream. Each step took effort, and she knew she was not worthy of her destination. As she climbed, she allowed herself to imagine that she would find redemption at the top, that Sailor Moon would be waiting, that she would point her scepter at her and offer her freedom and peace. Whether that came in the form of being healed or killed Mercury no longer cared.

But when she reached the top she was greeted only by silence and emptiness. Sighing, she found the tree that she knew to be their favorite. They needed no coaxing to move into its branches, and gingerly she removed the leashes and bindings, only noticing the tears in her eyes when they blurred her vision.

Free and at home, the birds cawed at her, though the tone was different, and she allowed herself to imagine that she knew what they were saying. 

“I know.” She sighed and looked down at her feet--almost reminiscent of her former civilian self. “But if you’re not there. If you’re safe, she’ll find strength. Even if she assumes you’re dead, she’ll find that strength.”

She made no excuses, offered no reasons. This might be all she could do, but she knew as well as Phobos and Deimos did that it was not enough. “I cannot promise she’ll return, but if she does, she’ll need you healthy and well. Please.”

Mercury turned to leave, to return to the shadows which now claimed her life. As she did so, she saw a figure watching her from the porch of the small house. The old priest stared at her, and she could not read what was in his expression. He seemed to have aged in the time since his granddaughter had been taken, but there was still strength in those shoulders and in his inscrutable eyes. After a moment he nodded, and Mercury thought she’d seen the ghost of a smile.

***

Her world narrowed to nothing but pain, which blossomed in a gruesome rhythm each time the lash cut into the bare flesh of her back. She’d long ago lost count, and the words of her enraged queen were no longer able to pierce the haze. In the distance, she could hear someone screaming.

Finally the swells subsided, and she hung loosely upon the rack. Slowly, she opened her eyes and sought for something, anything, to distract her. Through the red haze that was her vision, she saw a tall, muscular man with curly auburn hair clench his teeth as the whip now landed on him. Their bonds had been placed so that they were forced to watch one another, and it took her a long moment before she realized why that was, and who he was, and why he was being punished.

She gasped as arms wrapped around her. 

“Easy. I know.” The gentle voice sounded familiar, and she realized there were two persons seeing to her. The one supporting her, despite how painful it was to be touched, and one who was releasing her wrists from the bonds that had kept her upright through the whipping.

Gently, the smaller of the two helped ease her into the arms of the taller one, finding the least painful position for her. She closed her eyes and whimpered as she felt him walk, not sure she cared where it was that they were taking her.

***

Mercury opened her eyes, whimpering at the sting and soreness that was her back. The cool damp cloths helped, and slowly she began to realize that she must have passed out at some point. 

Gentle hands applied a wet compress to her forehead, and long, nimble fingers ran through her short hair. Another set of hands gently eased a drying cloth from her back and carefully rubbed ointment over the wounds. There was no amount of care which could keep it from being painful; Mercury bit her lip and refused to cry.

“Your back looks like hamburger,” said Jadeite, and there was an emotion in it that she could not quite recognize. “Was it worth it?”

Mercury’s voice was raw, and despite her best effort came out as a whisper: “Yes.”

“Why did you do it? She’ll just find another way to torture Mars now.” This time Mercury recognized bitterness, but there was still that something else, and she could not pinpoint what it was. She’d never been good with emotions anyway.

Despite the pain, Mercury managed to smile slightly. Her words were not an accusation. The orders given to the rest of them prevented Jadeite from even going near Mars. “Because you couldn’t.”

Because no matter what else Beryl orchestrated, little could be as bad for Mars as watching Phobos and Deimos suffer. Because she needed to prove to herself that she was more than the Dark Senshi Beryl had made her. Because Mars had been her friend, and she did what she could. Because she’d given her oath to Beryl in order to protect an innocent life.


	8. Chapter 8

She was walking down the hall, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach, when a voice called out to her.

“Where are you going?”

Mercury stopped and took a deep breath, not turning to look at the general who’d come up behind her. “To the dungeon. I want to check on Mars. I’ve not seen her since--”

“I’m afraid I cannot let you do that.”

With a shake of her head, she continued toward the stairwell. She managed only a step before Kunzite grabbed her arm. Mercury tried to pull her arm away, and his grasp tightened. “New orders. You’re not allowed to go into the dungeons.”

Her jaw clenched. “Tell me, Kunzite, do you ever get tired of being Beryl’s lackey? Of always doing everything she tells you to do? Do you ever think for yourself or act on your own?”

Grabbing her other arm, Kunzite swung her backward and pressed her against the wall. “You have no idea what I do, Mercury, what I sacrifice to protect the rest of you. Don’t push me on this.” Silver eyes bore into her own a long minute before he released her. “Do not go into the dungeons.”

Yanking her arm away, Mercury started to head toward her room, jaw clenched. She had only taken a couple of steps before she heard a voice, “Lord Kunzite, Lady Mercury!”

Stopping in her tracks, Mercury counted to ten before slowly turning around to face the youma. Kunzite was waiting with a raised eyebrow.

“Beryl wants to see you.” The creature bowed its head in deference. “Immediately.”

“Of course she does.” Rubbing at her forehead, Mercury sighed as she followed Kunzite to throne room.

***

Zoisite and Nephrite were already there. Zoisite’s lip twitched slightly upward, and Mercury could only hope that Beryl did not notice the beginning of a smile. Mercury avoided looking at Nephrite; the way that he still had trouble standing straight with the scarring on his back clawed at her conscience like a demon. 

Attempting to keep her own expression void of any emotion, she bowed to Beryl as she took her position. Her jaw clenched slightly as she noticed that Jadeite was late, once again. While his habitual tardiness annoyed her, she could not blame him. It meant that he had to spend the least amount of time in the throne room, and she could not help but wonder if he did not have the right idea..

No one said anything as they waited on the last of the Shitennou. Minutes passed. Beryl began to tap her nails on the arm of her throne. Mercury’s teeth ground, and she fought to keep her hands steady at her side, any sympathy for Jadeite’s decision having long evaporated.

Finally, the queen said, “Beretta, go find Jadeite.”

Even as Beryl addressed the youma, the door opened with a quiet bang. “I’m right here, My Queen. I apologize for the delay.” The blond man moved swiftly to the throne, kneeling before her, hand over his heart. “I was doing reconnaissance. There is a music festival coming up which I believe would be a great source of energy, and at least one of the performers has a very real potential.” He smiled up at Beryl. “My apologies again.”

Beryl steepled her fingers together. “Very well.” She nodded to him and then waved generously toward the others. 

Jadeite said nothing as he took his place between Zoisite and Nephrite, and Mercury had to dig her own nails into her palm to keep from rolling her eyes. 

“Now, that we’re all here...I have decided that we’re going to change our strategy.” Beryl pinned Mercury with a glare, who met her gaze evenly. “Since we’re significantly behind schedule.”

The crazed queen kept Mercury’s eyes locked with her own for a moment, until Mercury looked down. She was not ashamed, but it would be best if Beryl thought she had, in fact, cowed her.

“I’m afraid that we will no longer be focusing on freeing the Senshi from the control of the Moon Witch.” Mercury’s nail dug deeper into her hand. “If we manage to capture them, good, but they are no longer our goal.”

There was silence for a moment, until Kunzite broke it. “My Queen?”

“With the loss of two of her Senshi, we will be able to defeat the Princess. Our focus is now on restoring Endymion. You are to work on discovering his identity and bringing him here.” Out of the corner of her eye, Mercury was pretty sure she saw Kunzite clench his jaw.

“Mercury, you will be joining Kunzite and Zoisite in an attack against the Senshi. Again, if you are able to separate Venus or Jupiter and bring them, do so, but your primary goal is to make sure that the Princess understands what she is facing.” Beryl smiled. 

After a moment, she turned her attention to Nephrite and Jadeite. “While they are facing the Senshi, the two of you will have another target.” If it were possible, her grin grew even bigger. “Kunzite, Zoisite, Mercury, you’re dismissed. I’m sure that Mercury will know where to attack. Take whatever youma you need.”

***

Mercury released a column of water, knocking Moon over as the Soldier of Love and Justice wasted time with her ridiculous speech. The last thing she wanted to hear was how she had failed.

Quickly surveying the field, she found Kunzite fighting Tuxedo Mask. It was clear that the leader of the Shitennou was holding back as he fought the caped and ridiculously dressed super hero. As Tuxedo Mask blocked Kunzite’s sword with his cane, Mercury realized that he suspected, or even knew, that the man was Endymion.

Looking to Zoisite, she nodded towards Jupiter and then ignored the frown the Shitennou directed at her as she moved to engage her chosen enemy. Fighting her former friend took all of her attention, and she drew the ice sword, knowing that water would have little effect against electricity.

The battle was intense. By bringing the fight to such close quarters, Mercury forced Jupiter to rely less on lighting and more on physical attacks. Under most circumstances, Jupiter would have clearly had the upper hand, having always been the best at hand to hand combat. However, Mercury did not relent in her attacks, forcing the other to dodge as much as she kicked.

An overhand attack was blocked by Jupiter’s arm, and Mercury could not help but grimace at the sound of bone crushing and the sight of blood on her former comrade’s glove. That moment of sympathy was all that her opponent needed to land a lightning-charged kick to her abdomen.

The force of the kick and the electricity surging through her body sent her to the ground. Looking up, she saw Moon reaching out to her, as Venus and Tuxedo Mask forced her away, with Jupiter guarding the three as they retreated, injured arm hanging uselessly at her side.

Zoisite moved to her and gently aided Mercury stand. Kunzite joined them and nodded, “Well done. I believe Beryl’s message has been received and understood.”

***

When the three of them returned to the corridors of the sham palace, Zoisite pulled Mercury close. “Just a couple of minutes. We report to Beryl, and then it’s over.”

Kunzite placed his hand upon her shoulder, the cruelty of battle replaced by gentleness. “Zoisite, take Mercury to her quarters. I’ll report to Beryl.”

Before Zoisite could agree, a youma approached the three. “I’m sorry, Your Honors, but Queen Beryl wishes to see all three of you.”

Zoisite cursed. “Or not.”

Mercury nodded and straightened up, pulling back from Zoisite. “I’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

***

Walking into the throne room, Mercury froze at the sight that greeted her. “No. No!” 

Turning to face Beryl, she fell to her knees. “Don’t do this. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll swear a new oath, a stronger oath. Just don’t...please.”

Beryl’s smile was cruel. “You brought this upon yourself, Mercury.”

“Ami.” The voice which spoke her former name was familiar, and Mercury wondered how she had known, how long she had known.

She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. “Ami is dead. I’m Mercury.” 

“Ami. Please, look at me.”

Feeling tears run down her face, Mercury forced herself to her feet and turned. Zoisite’s hand came to her shoulder, offering support as she felt herself sink to a deeper level of hell than she had thought possible.

She was not sure when Nephrite and Jadeite had come to stand with her and the others, but she knew now what their target had been. 

“Ami.” She raised her head to look at the woman bound to the rack, and despite the tears which blurred her vision, she had no problem recognizing her. “This isn’t your fault. I know that. I love you, and I’m proud of you, and while I may not understand why you’re here, I know that beneath all of this, you’re still my little girl.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I...” 

Mercury moved from Zoisite’s support, fully intent on releasing Mizuno Saeko, when two rather large youma blocked her way.

It took two of them to hold her back, and she cried out as Beryl issued direct orders to the Shitennou to prevent them from intervening. 

***

When Mercury was finally released, Saeko had been taken off the rack and placed on the ground. Her breathing was shallow, her pulse weak, and her eyes were dull. She had gone through more than any person could possibly endure: whipped, electrocuted, burnt...and then the worst as a youma carefully cut her with blades made of ice.

Racing to her, Mercury, pulled the physician into her lap, hugging her closely. “I’m sorry. I...I’m sorry.” She did not need take her pulse or any readings to know that her mother was dying.

“Shh.” Saeko reached up and wiped at the tears on her daughter’s cheeks. “I know. You’re strong, Ami. I know what you did. Hino-san told me. I know who you are, Ami, who you truly are.” She moved her hand to her daughter’s chest. “Who you still are. I love you. And I’m proud of you.” 

She leaned down and kissed her mother’s cheek. “I love you, too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Mercury was not sure at what point Saeko took her final breath. 

Eventually, she felt Zoisite pull her away. 

She allowed herself to lean into those arms, to sob, until she saw Nephrite and Jadeite, saw the pain and the unspoken apologies in their faces. Her hand clenched, and she felt Zoisite’s arm tightened around her.

It did not matter that she knew it was not their fault. It did not matter that she knew they could not have denied Beryl’s orders. It did not matter that it had been their attack of the Senshi that had allowed them to be able to capture the physician. They were the ones who had brought her mother here.

Kunzite placed himself between them, turning to look at the two miserable Shitennou. “Go.” Over his shoulder he spoke to Zoisite. “Get her to her room now. Sedate her if you have to.” He spared a glance to the now empty throne. “Too far. This was too far.”


	9. Chapter 9

Electronic music was not what she would have chosen to listen to but, they were not here for the music. Mercury’s focus remained on the small computer in her hands, watching numbers and graphs and ignoring the people around her, including the blond at her side.

She had almost been surprised when Jadeite’s claim to have learned of a music festival proved more than a mere cover for him to sneak to the dungeons, but she supposed the other four had been manipulating Beryl longer than she had. Thus far the outing had proven profitable, and no real harm had been done to any of the civilians.

They were dressed as normal young adults, and thanks to modern technology there had been no need to disguise her computer. She and Jadeite were stationed near the back of the crowd, observing in their different ways. Fortunately, the racket of the music was enough that ignoring his attempts to apologize proved to be simple. 

The current band ended with a large chord and some incoherent screaming, causing the gathered audience to go wild, and Mercury smirked as the readings on her screen spiked. If the energy now was a bit less than it had been for the previous bands, no one in the crowd seemed to notice. If they did their jobs right, all would be able to make it home, wondering if they were not already too old for such a full day, but there would be no other indications of the energy syphoned from them.

The cheers faded and crews hastily swarmed the stage to prepare for the next performance.

“The next performance is the artist we’re here for.” 

She sighed as she set the diagnostics to run on the crystals and looked briefly from her computer to her companion. The blond looked as miserable as she felt, and she quickly looked away before she could begin to feel anything other than anger for him.

Glancing at her neglected program, she saw that it would be a violinist playing classical western music, a welcome change from the more postmodern selections. 

Zoisite had managed to become the festival accompanist for any performers who needed such, insisting that the position had been won without any use of dark energy. Zoisite’s role in the festival, however, allowed the music to be infused with a bit of dark energy to aid in the collection. 

This set would be different, though. Rather than gathering energy, Zoisite would focus the dark energy on the violinist, drawing a bit on what had already been collected if necessary. If Jadeite’s evaluation of the woman were correct, then the transformation to a full youma would begin.

Clenching her jaw, she turned her eyes back to the screen and mumbled, “Great, let’s ruin someone else’s life.”

***

By the second piece of the set, Mercury was frowning at the numbers on the screen and entering commands to try to make sense of what she was seeing. According to her readouts, Zoicite was feeding a steady stream dark energy to the violinist, but none of it seemed to be affecting her. Rather it seemed that the woman neutralized the energy without realizing it. Mercury’s frown deepened, and she shifted her attention to examining the musician. 

After a moment, she cursed and grabbed Jadeite’s arm. “Get Zoisite out of there. Now.”

Jadeite seemed startled by the touch and frowned at her. “Why?”

“Just do it!”

The moment it took Jadeite to decide to obey without question seemed far too long, but when he nodded and his eyes glazed over, Mercury caught a breath she did not realize she’d been holding.

There was the slightest catch in the piano accompaniment--Zoisite must have stumbled slightly at Jadeite’s unexpected message.

The ear piece she wore buzzed, and she tapped it. “Mercury, what’s going on?” Kunzite’s voice was that of a general demanding a report, and Mercury used that to keep her focused.

“We’re targeting a Senshi.” 

“Retreat then. Do we have enough energy to keep Beryl happy, or regroup?”

Mercury glanced at her screen, “If we can gather the crystals, Beryl should be appeased.”

“Good.” She could almost imagine his nod, “Nephrite?”

“I’m here.”

“Nephrite, get Zoisite safely off the stage. Mercury, you and Jadeite collect the crystals to the east, and I’ll get the rest. We’ll meet up outside the throne room.”

***

“What do you mean she’s a Senshi?”

None of the Shitennou responded, so Mercury took a deep, exasperated breath, “The Silver Millennium was made up of all the planets in the Solar System, with the exception of Earth, of course.” She inclined her head respectfully toward Beryl. “Each planet had its own Senshi. The ones with which you’re familiar are not all of us. The planets Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto also had Senshi.”

Jadeite snickered slightly, earning an elbow to his ribs from Nephrite.

Mercury rolled her eyes. “Pluto is a planet regardless of what the scientists of this age claim. She’s also not someone you’d want to make angry. I admit that my memories of the four of them are vague, as are many of my memories from that time, but their duty was different from ours. We protected the Princess, they guarded the solar system against external threats.”

Beryl frowned, her nails tapping against the arm of her throne in a sure sign of her impatience. “Then why would one of them be a violinist performing at a musical festival?”

“The same reason I was a pre-med student. The same reason Re...Mars was studying to be a priestess.” She felt her own jaw clench, even as she lifted her chin. Beryl had to know there was nothing left she could do to hurt her.

“As far as one of them showing up now, I’d suspect that’s to compensate for the loss of the two Senshi.”

The queen growled, and Mercury found herself having to bite back a smile at that. “Then we have to press the advantage while we still have it. Forget gathering energy or even trying to get the Prince. I want non-stop attacks on the Princess.”

No one said anything until Beryl snapped at them, “Well? What are you waiting for? Go!”

***

“Zoisite, you rest. You used energy the rest of us did not.” The look Kunzite shot the musician was enough to forestall any protest.

Mercury saw Kunzite’s jaw clench as he studied the hologram of the prefecture. “If we’re to approach anything like non-stop, we will have to rotate and to sacrifice youma. However, we will have more opportunities to rest than they will.”

Nephrite leaned against the wall in the room, “And Tuxedo Mask?”

Kunzite’s eyes closed, “Capturing him may be the only way to protect him at this point.”

She could not help but raise an eyebrow as she looked around at them, observing the way Kunzite’s words seemed to defeat all of them. Nephrite slouched and leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling of the cavernous room. Jadeite cursed and would have put his fist through the wall if Zoisite hadn’t caught him, exhaustion and defeat in the green eyes that met Mercury’s. 

For a moment she sympathized, before her thoughts turned to the Princess and she spat out, “And how will we protect the Princess? By capturing those for whom she cares? Who fight at her side? Or does she not matter?”

“Mercury!”

“Just give me my orders.” She stormed out of the room.

***

She was halfway to her room when she heard footsteps following her. “Leave me alone!”

“No.”

Spinning on her heel she turned to face the other, “What do you want?”

“To talk.” Zoisite took a step toward her, “I know this isn’t fair, Mercury. We all know.”

“You know what isn’t fair...it isn’t fair that I have...”

She was interrupted by Zoisite crossing the distance and gently laying a hand over her mouth. “Not out here. You can rant and yell at me all you want, in the privacy of your quarters.”

When she nodded, she was released. She turned and resumed her path, not bothering to care whether Zoisite followed.

***

She had not immediately resumed ranting when they reached her room. Rather she ignored Zoisite as she went about straightening non-existing messes. 

The fourth time she went to straighten the covers on her bed, Mercury found herself caught in strong arms.

Zoisite held her tight and spoke softly, “It’s not fair. It’s not fair that you sold your soul to protect an innocent. It’s not fair that Beryl’s orders leave neither us nor you leeway regarding the Princess, but some small wiggle room for our Prince. It’s not fair that you have to fight your sisters. It’s not fair that...”

“Don’t.” Mercury had allowed herself to relax into Zoisite, but did not know that she could handle hearing any more.

They stood there in silence, Mercury’s eyes closing as one arm moved from around her waist and long fingers began to run through her hair.

“I thought Kunzite ordered you to rest.”

A soft laugh met that and lips met the skin on the back of her neck. “He didn’t say I had to sleep.”

She moaned softly as the other began to tease the sensitive skin with teeth, “I wish...”

“I know. But perhaps we can both find a bit of light, even if just for a moment.”


	10. Chapter 10

Mercury watched as the two youma terrorized the food court. Athmos jumped on a table, kicking trays of food and drinks at the fleeing customers while Portmas threw the noodles from a shop into the chaos. It was anything but subtle, and as such it could not fail to attract the desired attention.

She fisted her hand, forcing back the weariness, just in time to hear Sailor Moon berating them from interrupting innocent shoppers. It was weird; she wished she could take just a couple of minutes with her once Princess to tell her to stop making the speeches--they simply did not work.

As she watched, it was clear that the remaining Senshi and Tuxedo Mask were tired. Jupiter’s lightning went wild and her kicks seemed to have less power than she remembered; Venus’s chain was shorter and duller; Tuxedo Mask refused to move from in front of Sailor Moon; and Moon seemed to have lost her sense of optimistic hope. “I’m sorry.”

A gentle hand brushed her arm, but before she could turn, Nephrite caught her attention by clearing his throat. Straightening, she glanced over to see him nod. The brushing hand grasped her shoulder, lending support and strength, but she stepped forward, away from it.

With a wave of her hand, she created the fog, quickly thickening it enough to limit visibility. She did not need to see to know the effect the fog would have on their opponents, but between the youma and the three of them, the knowledge would do little to aid them.

She ran into the battle, a stride’s length behind the other two. She called moisture to her hand, solidifying it, forming a sword.

Her target moved, but slowly, and, “Mercury! Please, I know you’re there. Please...” And she would lead her right to him.

“I’m right here, Princess.” She brought the sword around in a simple strike, easy to block and smiled at the sound of his cane blocking it.

Her focus narrowed. They outnumbered their opponents, were rested, and all of them were able to fight rather than needing protection. Each of them knew what was expected, knew what they must do, and she did not did not need to split her focus.

There was just the clash of sword and cane, the dance and keeping the lead enough to draw him away from Sailor Moon.

She feinted to the left before bringing the sword around to attack from the right, driving him toward where Nephrite and Zoisite fought a stubborn Venus.

“No!”

Hot chain caught her calf, pulling her to the ground. She rolled, just barely dodging the cane that would have crushed her elbow.

Ignoring the pain in her leg, she quickly rose to her feet, but was knocked down before she could even raise the sword.

The blast dispersed the fog and knocked all of them to the ground.

A tall Senshi in teal moved to Sailor Moon, helping her to her feet, but her own attention was torn away as pain shot through her arm. Another Senshi stepped forcibly on her wrist. “Coward and traitor. I should kill you now.”

“Uranus! No! Please, don’t.” Uranus turned to see Sailor Moon, whole and unharmed but being held back by Neptune.

Adding a bit of pressure before she released her wrist, Uranus drew her sword to finish off the youma.

Neptune let go of Sailor Moon and looked at Mercury, “We protect the Princess now.”

***

“Uranus did a good job shattering your wrist.”

Mercury raised an eyebrow at Jadeite as he wrapped it.

“Nope, sorry.” He grinned at her, “Not as effective as Kunzite’s. You’ll heal quickly enough, and you have the added advantage of being out of commission for a couple of days, so lucky you.”

“Jadeite...” 

Still looking at Mercury, he simply grinned more, “He’s doing it right now, isn’t he?”

She nodded, and he sighed, “Ok...so I’ll just focus on setting your wrist and stop trying to lighten the mood...”

“Mercury...” She felt gentle fingers on her cheek and turned to look at Zoisite, “She’s wrong. You’re not a coward or a traitor. She has no idea what you went through, what you go through. You cannot let it get to you.”

“I know.” Mercury smiled slightly, her free hand reaching up to grab Zoisite’s. “I know.”

“There, done...not as well as you would have done, but, you know, two hands.” Jadeite moved out of the way before Zoisite could smack him. 

“We do need to discuss how we go forward until Mercury’s wrist has healed.” Kunzite’s voice was all business, but she thought she saw the faintest traces of exhaustion in his stance and his expression. “You’re not good enough with your secondary hand to go into battle, though if kept far enough away you could still help with on the ground strategy.”

“Not without someone standing watch with her.”

Mercury blinked and looked at Nephrite, “I believe I could do so without needing protection.”

He shook his head, “Not the way Uranus was going after you. If she could get you alone, she would not hesitate. Your wrist is proof of that.”

Before she could argue Zoisite spoke up. “He’s right. Until you’re fully healed, I think you should stay out of the fighting all together.”

Kunzite nodded, “Very well. Though I do want any information you have on this Uranus, and on Neptune. I believe we just lost our advantage.”

***

“I don’t need to be protected!” 

Zoisite tried to move toward her, but Mercury turned, glaring at the blonde Shitennou, “Don’t. Don’t you dare.”

Hands put up in surrender, Mercury turned her back on the other and moved to the small basin of water she kept, dipping the fingers of her hand into it. “I am perfectly capable of defending myself, even without a sword.”

“Are you really complaining about getting a break from fighting the Senshi? From attacking the Princess?”

She closed her eyes and sighed, her shoulders slumping forward.

“Take advantage of this. You have a couple of days of not seeing the pain in their eyes.” Arms slipped around her waist, and she felt herself pulled back a bit. “No one thinks you’re weak. No one is questioning your fortitude or your ability.”

Mercury nodded, and they stood there like that for a few moments, until she whispered, “She wasn’t wrong.”

“She was.” Zoisite grabbed her left hand and led her to the bed. Pulling her down gently, Zoisite cupped her cheek, “She was. She doesn’t know.”

When she opened her mouth to protest, Zoisite laid a finger over her lips. “Hush. She might have done different. She might have killed the innocent, but she cannot judge you. Nor does she know what you’ve done to fight even still.” Zoisite smiled and then leaned in, moving the finger, lips close enough that when the other spoke, Mercury could feel the movement against her own. “You might not believe this, but you are my hero.”

And then lips were on hers, an arm around her waist again, a hand against the back of her neck, guiding her down onto the mattress.

***

She braced herself in the tree with her good arm. Zoisite slept deeply--she had seen to that--and would not miss her for a bit.

It did not take her long to confirm that Sailor Moon was safely in her bedroom. She knew that someone had to be standing guard--she doubted the young woman was allowed to do anything without someone shadowing her, a precaution she completely approved of. However, it took her a couple of minutes to locate Venus. She was standing guard nearby, in full fuku, but she’d found an unobtrusive place from which to watch.

Careful not to be spotted herself, she slipped out of the tree and found a less difficult spot to conceal herself as she checked the Mercury Computer.

She smiled to herself when she found her target. Not surprisingly, she was in a park. It was early, yet, and Jupiter would prefer the freedom of the outdoors, and the nearness of plants. 

Taking a deep breath, she stood and began to make her way to the park. Her wrist twinged when someone brushed past her, but her need for secrecy kept her from even a soft groan.

She found Jupiter running on a trail, and she could not help but chuckle bitterly to herself. Only she could be utterly exhausted and still need to burn energy. 

The expenditure of her own energy would attract attention, she knew, but if she were fast enough, perhaps it would not matter. Looking up to the clouds, she drew them to her, joined the droplets to make them heavier, until suddenly they burst. The rain was heavy and fast, and it did not take long before there were no civilians around, though Mercury regretted every wasted second.

Jupiter was smart, Mercury knew. Smart enough to know the rain wasn’t natural. Smart enough to transform rather than to flee, and she did not give her opponent long to wonder where she was in all this.

Instead she transformed as well and stepped out into the open.

“Not good enough to protect her?” The falling rain gave her plenty of water to work with, and she formed razor blades of ice she sent flying toward her opponent. “Need Uranus and Neptune to help you. Pitiful.”

Lightning struck a couple of feet away from her, “Are you that tired that you cannot hit me? How the mighty have fallen. You really should know better than being out here all alone.”

Another strike, this time closer, and she grinned as she moved closer to Jupiter.

“Why are you doing this? How could you do this?”

Mercury shrugged, “It’s who I am now.” More blades, this time larger, sharper, were sent toward her opponent, scoring wounds that would leave her hurting once the adrenaline wore off.

“You saved Phobos and Deimos...that is who you are!”

“A mistake, one I paid for dearly.” Her jaw clenched, “And one I won’t repeat.”

Jupiter shook her head, another strike just to Mercury’s left.

“If that’s the best you can do, there’s a room waiting for you. I wonder what Beryl’s plan for you would be...”

That did it, Mercury could almost see the energy building around Jupiter and called water to herself. Only as Jupiter released the strike did the other woman realize the blades had stopped, and as time seemed to slow down, Mercury saw the realization dawn on the other’s face.

The pain was excruciating, and she reveled in it, smiling as she fell once the electricity passed into the ground. “I’m sorry.”

Arms grabbed her, and she opened her eyes, expecting to see Jupiter. She need to apologize, to make sure she understood that there was no other way.

Instead, she saw Zoisite, sobbing and holding her. Looking past the blonde, she saw a horrified Jupiter. She closed her eyes again, frowning, as an aftershock caused her to arch..

“Why?”

With difficulty, she opened her eyes again. Jupiter knelt beside her, holding her broken wrist, drawing the rest of the electricity back into herself. “Only way. I’m sorry. Thank you.”

She shook her head slightly and then looked to Zoisite, “You shouldn’t be awake.”

“You didn’t drug me that well. No one could have slept through that.”

“Oh.”

“You really are my hero.” Gentle hands smoothed wet bangs from her forehead. “I wish there’d been another way.

“Maybe we’ll get another chance?” She took a shuddering breath, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Zoisite smiled and leaned down, tears mingling with the rain as she kissed Mercury. None of the pain mattered to Mercury as she slipped into oblivion.


End file.
